Awestruck
by iheartgod175
Summary: The town of Nice 'n Friendly Corners was nice enough, but the sheriff left Peck speechless. Callie/Peck.


**A/N**: Super sorry I was gone for a while, folks! I haven't had many ideas for Callie/Peck fanfiction, and I'm dealing with school and changes in my writing habits, too.

But I'm back, with more of our favorite calico and woodpecker couple. Seeing as how the last short story I posted was an angst fest, we need a cute one to balance things out, I believe :) Will this show up in "You've Got My Attention" down the line? Don't know for sure, but keep yer eyes peeled!

Oh, and a SUPER BIG THANK YOU to those who have been following and favoriting "Time After Time" on Wattpad! The records I've found on that story are INSANE. Thank you so much, it means a lot to me! :D

**Disclaimer: **If _You've Got My Attention_ was of any indication, I think it's a good thing I'm not the creator of _Sheriff Callie_!

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**Awestruck**

_Nice and Friendly Corners, huh? _Peck's mouth formed a skeptical frown as he looked at the sign. _I _still _think that's an odd name for a small town._

Well, compared to a few other towns, it wasn't bad looking at all. In fact, it looked kind of how he pictured it: small, simple, cute. And it had everything most towns out here had: a hotel, a saloon, a livery stable, a supply store, and the sheriff's office. The only thing that was different was the cleanliness; he'd never seen a cleaner town in all his life.

"Yup, I made it to the right place, alright," he muttered, before wiping his sweaty forehead.

He would've been happier, but whatever happiness he felt was drowned out by irritation, exhaustion, and thirst. It'd taken two hours to get here from the train ride, and he'd almost gotten lost in a deep gorge on his way here. Right now, he wanted to rip these goshdarned boots off and relax with a tall trail mix milkshake, maybe two.

With the sun baking the skin under his feathers, he urged his mule, Clementine, forward. "Giddyup, old gal," he said. "We've gotta get outta this sun!"

Thankfully, the stubborn mule cooperated with him without fuss. Soon, they were through the gate and heading into town. And just his luck, the sheriff's office was to his right. With a groan, he dismounted and stretched for a few seconds before taking the reins and tying them to the front.

As he went about his business, he was aware of a few eyes looking at him. He turned around to face two dirty blue peccary miners. The first was dressed in a yellow shirt, dark brown vest, and blue jeans, and the other was dressed in dirty green overalls and a red neckerchief. Both of them were carrying pickaxes and buckets.

The one in the yellow shirt gave him a wide smile. "Howdy there, stranger! Welcome ta Nice 'n Friendly Corners!" he said. "I'm Dirty Dan, an' this is my younger brother, Dusty!"

Dusty stepped forward and grasped his hand in greeting. "Pleasure ta meet ya, Mister!"

Peck was nearly shaken brainless by Dusty's handshake. After regaining his composure, he replied with, "Well, shucks, it's nice ta meet you fellas. Name's Peck."

"Well, greetings!" Another voice filled the air, and everyone turned around to face a grey-furred rabbit sitting on the saloon porch, a checkerboard on the table. Across from him was an older tortoise with yellow eyes, who looked up from their game to face him. "What brings ya to town?"

_Well, no wonder they call this place Nice 'n Friendly Corners_. "I heard that there was a sheriff here lookin' for a new deputy," Peck said. "So I was lookin' to meet with-"

"Ooh, that's excitin'!" The exclamation came from a voice behind him. He turned to see a female skunk wearing a beautiful magenta dress and carrying a small purse. She smiled prettily up at Peck. "The Sheriff'll be glad to hear that." She nodded in greeting to Peck. "I'm Priscilla, by the way. I hope ya love the town."

"Thank you kindly, Priscilla," Peck said, watching as she left. "Well, she seems nice."

"And cute," Dusty said, nudging Peck in the shoulder.

"W-What?" Peck said, turning to him so fast, he thought he heard a bone pop in his neck.

"We could tell that's what you were thinkin'," Dirty Dan said. "Every fella gets like that 'round Priscilla."

The rabbit chuckled. "You'd better not say that too loud," he said.

"True, amigo," the tortoise said. "Priscilla clings to anyone who compliments her."

Priscilla shot a small glare in their direction. "I heard that Tio!" she said.

"Heard what?" Tio replied, a small teasing smirk on his face.

"Sheriff Callie will be happy to see you, though," the rabbit said. "She's been lookin' for a deputy for ages!"

"Really? I had no idea. I found that ad about a week ago."

"Oh, that ad's been up for two months," the older rabbit said. "She can take care of herself, though, since she's the best sheriff the West's got."

"Well, where I come from, there's a lot of fellers who'd fight for that title," Peck replied.

The rabbit snorted. "Yeah, an' I bet my whiskers all of 'em would lose to Sheriff Callie in a heartbeat!"

"Speaking of losing..." Tio took his checker piece and jumped several of the rabbit's on the checkerboard. He looked up at the grey-furred rabbit with a smile. "I do believe you owe me a milkshake, Uncle Bun."

"Oh, horseapples!" Uncle Bun grumbled, folding his arms. "I was that close to winning!"

_Wow. She's that good of a sheriff, huh? _"Is she in town?" Peck asked. "I'd like ta speak with her before I settle in."

The sound of neighing filled their ears. Dusty's mouth quirked into a smile. "Well, speak of the devil. Here comes Sheriff Callie now!" he said.

Peck turned to face the entrance and was shocked to see a blue streak race through the entrance, dust trailing behind them a mile high. A loud cry of "Whoa, there, Sparky!" filled his ears, and Peck stared in surprise as a blue-coated horse with a sparkling blue mane reared up on its hind legs, coming to a stop right beside Clementine, who brayed in shock.

The horse was impressive enough, but Peck's attention was on the rider: a calico with tan and dark gray spots on her white fur and vivid green eyes. She wore a brown vest, dusty blue jeans, and a pink cowgirl hat with a matching bandana and boots. Her gold badge glimmered in the early afternoon sun.

On the back of her horse-Sparky, he guessed-was a porcupine with a black hat, tied with a golden rope. He almost fell to the ground, but she quickly grabbed the ropes that bound him and hoisted him back in the saddle with surprising strength. Those vivid green eyes were filled with sternness as she turned to face him.

"Alright, Peter, since you pulled off that escape," she started, "you're gonna be in here for another week."

"Someday, Sheriff Callie!" the outlaw snarled, glaring at her with green eyes. "Someday, you're gonna get yours!"

Callie got off of Sparky and helped the outlaw down. "I've heard it all before. Now come on," she said, marching him inside. "I've got a nice little cell with your name on it."

Peck stared after her as she headed inside the office, speechless. He'd thought that the townspeople had been exaggerating her a bit, but their praises didn't do her justice. She was a tough one, barely reacting to that threat. In fact, he could see her _making _those sorts of threats without batting an eye.

Her personality (or what he'd glimpsed of it) had impressed him enough, but her looks weren't bad either. Oh, who was he kidding? She was cute-_really cute_. He was surprised that the men in this town hadn't fought to be her new deputy.

"Well, there's the sheriff for you," Tio said, shaking Peck out of his thoughts. "I recommend talking to her after she's put Peter away."

"Y-Yeah, I guess I can see why," Peck replied.

"Cat got your tongue, Peck?" Dusty said, before bursting into laughter.

That shook Peck out of his thoughts, and his face flamed with red. "What're you talkin' about?!" he shouted, spinning towards Dusty.

"Oh, I think you know what I'm talkin' about," Dusty replied. "You were starin' at her longer than ya were at Priscilla."

_Shucks! _"W-Well...it's just...l-look, I was surprised, okay?" Peck replied. He knew it was a flimsy excuse, and judging from the knowing expressions on the others' faces, they knew it too.

"Well, you have to admit, seeing the sheriff ride in on horseback is awe-inspiring," Uncle Bun replied. "You should see her in action. She can capture ten outlaws with her magic lasso!"

"Wait, what?" Peck turned to face him. "Whaddya mean, 'magic lasso'? I ain't ever heard of that!"

"Sheriff Callie's known for bringin' in criminals, saving people, and repairing all sorts of things with her shapeshiftin' lasso," Dirty Dan replied. "It's better than any old gun."

"And more peaceful too!" Uncle Bun added.

"Uncle Bun, you're gonna make me embarrassed with all this praise you're givin' me."

All of the males turned around to see Sheriff Callie walk out of the office, heading over to them. Compared to earlier, she had a warm smile on her face, which Peck couldn't help but be struck by.

_What a dazzlin' smile..._

"Welcome back, Sheriff!" Dusty said, and a few similar greetings followed among the group.

"Thanks, it's good to be back, fellas." She then looked over at Peck, surprise on her features. "Shucks, I've never seen you before."

"Uh, t-that's 'cause I'm new here," he said, pulling at his neckerchief. For some reason it was hard to find his voice. "I'm here for that new deputy job."

"Yup! We were just chattin' with 'im 'til you came back, Sheriff," Dirty Dan replied. "We'd like to stay longer, but me and my brother have to get to the mine."

"Oh, shucks, why didn't you tell me?" Peck said. "I wouldn't have kept ya!"

"Naw, it ain't neighborly to leave a stranger on his lonesome!" Dusty said. "Besides, we had fun talkin' to you anyway!"

"That's right nice of you boys," Callie said. Catching Peck's glance, she inclined her head over to the office. "Well, how about you come on inside, and we'll get to talkin' about that new job of yours? I won't keep you too long, though. Reckon you must be tired and starvin' after your trip."

"Sure, that'll work out perfectly," he said.

Again, she sent him that dazzling smile. "Great, follow me in," she said, and turned and led the way.

He turned around and saw his new acquaintances nodding and giving him thumbs up, although in Dusty's case it was with a cheeky grin. Peck sighed, but he couldn't help a small smile of his own as he entered the office.

He was starting to like this town already.

**The End**

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_**I rarely cross-post my stories from one site to the other, but I loved this one enough to put it on my main account. ^^**_

_**I've seen some stuff for Priscilla/Peck, and it's honestly not a bad ship. I may write a story for them in the future, if I get the inspiration for them.**_

_**And no, I haven't forgotten about YGMA. I want to get back to that as soon as possible, but I'm still fixing some things. Hopefully, I can update it before the end of the year. **_

_**That's all I have to say for now! Thanks for reading!**_

_**God bless, iheartgod175**_


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